A pioneering new test at Royal Berkshire Hospital is improving care for breast cancer patients and reducing the amount of women having to have second operations.

A pioneering new test at Royal Berkshire Hospital is improving care for breast cancer patients and reducing the amount of women having to have second operations.

The hospital was only the 17th user of the One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) in the country when it started running the test back in September.

The machine allows for lymph nodes to be tested for the spread of cancer while a patient is under anaesthetic for the initial operation to remove a tumour from a breast.

So far 99 patients have been tested and 36 per cent of them tested positive for cancer in the lymph nodes.

Consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon Brendan Smith said: “It is a major benefit to the patients as it reduces the need for two operations and cuts out a frustrating wait.

“Getting the results quicker also means we can carry out other treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, quicker. We are probably going to save about 70 patients in one year.”

Before OSNA was available at the RBH, women would have to wait seven to 10 days to find out whether the cancer had spread to their lymph nodes and then a further two to three weeks to schedule another operation.

Biomedical scientist Christopher Harrison is one of just four people trained to carry out the test at the hospital.

A theatre porter hand-delivers the sample to him in the lab where he carries out the test while the surgeon continues the procedure to remove the tumour from the breast.

The quickest time the test has been carried out is 32 minutes, however it varies with each patient.

“As well as the benefits to the patients there are also significant savings in costs,” explained Mr Harrison. “It saves the cost of two operations and it saves bed space.”

Cheryl Elliott, 56, of Lavenham Drive, Woodley, was one of the first patients at the RBH to have the test when she had her operation on September 14. Although the positive result was not what she wanted to hear, she was saved the trauma of waiting for results and having to have a second operation.

“Having the test helped so much, you find you are waiting around all the time with cancer and every time you wait it makes you very anxious,” said Mrs Elliott.

“So anything that speeds up the process is wonderful and obviously the OSNA did that for me.”

Mrs Elliott has two more chemotherapy sessions left of her treatment and is looking forward to spending time with her supportive husband, Peter, 59, and sons Matthew, 32, and Piers, 30.

She said: “When I was first diagnosed, one of the hardest things for Peter, was feeling so unable to help.

“It is horrible to see someone you love going through something really scary, so anything that can slightly improve that situation is welcome.”

Unfortunately the test is not appropriate for every breast cancer patient – however every woman who is eligible will be given it at the RBH.